Texas producers like current farm bill

Growers speak out at hearing about a measure close to expiring

Published 5:30 am, Wednesday, May 10, 2006

SAN ANGELO - There's no need to fix a farm bill that's not broken, farmers and livestock producers from the nation's No. 2 agriculture state told members of a congressional committee Tuesday.

The government expects to spend $20 billion subsidizing farmers this year under the current bill, and some Texas farmers among the 250 or so who attended the hearing said spending on agriculture is too important to fall victim to budget constraints in Washington.

Lawmakers are planning federal policy for the next farm bill, after a five-year measure expires in 2007.

"The history of farm bills reads like a pendulum swinging from little or no support to a collection of effective support mechanisms working together," said Al Spinks, a Midland cotton farmer. "I think it would be a mistake to swing the pendulum again."

Agriculture represents just 1 percent of the country's budget, and only small changes are needed to meet budget requirements and global trade obligations, Spinks said.

The 2002 farm bill has 10 programs, including those for commodities, conservation, trade, nutrition programs, rural development and research. Most cotton farmers have hailed the bill as near-perfect for its support of their trade.

"The current program has proven to be a dependable safety net and is not, contrary to popular belief, a guarantee of profit," said Rickey Bearden, who farms cotton, peanuts, wheat and black-eyed peas on the South Plains, the world's largest contiguous cotton patch, near Lubbock.

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns has said about 92 percent of subsidy payments go to farmers who grow corn, soybeans, cotton, rice and wheat.

Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., said the committee will not write a farm bill that "disarms American farmers."

After the hearing, Goodlatte, who succeeded former Texas congressman Larry Combest as chairman, said he'd grown "very familiar" with Texas agriculture through his predecessor. He said he's committed to ensuring the state's producers are treated fairly.